The Latest News!! 09/10/2021. Warhorse Miniatures Anglo-Saxon Family set #1 is now available for pre-order!!!

We are proud to announce that the 1st set is now ready for pre-order. There are 5 figures for the Saxon Family set. The price for the set in Burnt Orange color is $40 plus shipping. The price for the bluish-grey color set for painting is $30 plus shipping. Sets will be released in the middle of October. If you are interested in purchasing a set you can send me a message at trailhiker262@yahoo.com. I will then send you a invoice through PayPal.

In the coming months we will be releasing more sets and information on our progress in building an early Medieval age world. The latest sets available will be listed over here, Warhorse Miniatures for Sale.

That is it for now. Thanks for reading.

The Latest News!! 07/31/2021. Warhorse Miniatures Anglo-Saxons.

In my last post we were talking about the new Anglo-Saxon figures I am creating. Production starts at the end of October. Today I have some more previews of prototypes and digital renders of what we are working one. We are in the process of test printing the figures and either changing or fine tuning them. Plus testing different resins to determine what type we will use.

Here are some pictures of digital renders and pictures of prototypes the Blacksmith shop. There are two figures. A Blacksmith and his assistant. The Blacksmith is hammering a spearhead. While the assistant is using a bellow on the fire in the forge. There also is a stone grinder, weapon rack, tool rack, anvil, forge, bench, coal or ash box, bucket with water. There are also some other things that will be included that are not in this picture like a bag of coal and some barrels. Some things might or will be changed before production.

Here are some digital renders and printed porotypes of the Saxon Potter set. The set will include a Potter & his wife, wood shelf, 3 different fire pits or kilns and some pottery. We have two different types of lean to type of structures. One to go against a house or wall and another that could be used on it’s own with a wattle type backing. They have thatched roofs. The Kilns will show how the process of firing the pottery is done. The first Kiln has the pottery placed in it. The second has the fire on top of the pottery. The third on shows the pottery after the fire died out and now it is in the ashes.

Here is one of the peasant figures that we are working on. He is the hunter. We have changed how he looks. We added a new face, a hood, quiver case. We resized the knife and hands. So far he has printed out nicely.

We also redesigned the “Pig Guy” or the boar herder. We changed the spearhead and made it longer. Adjusted his hands and changed his face.

Here are some digital renders of figures that we are working on that have been updated or changed.

Here are some other things we are working on. A couple of different houses and more figures. The sets we are working on now should be in final production in September. We will have a set of Anglo-Saxon Peasants, Stamford Bridge Add-On set, At least 2 different houses, a Blacksmith shop, a Potter shop and a Viking Raider camp. Maybe some other things if we have time. After that we hope to be able to release a new set every month. The goal for the first phase is to create a world. Show how the people lived and then show how others tried to destroy it…

Over the next month we will continue to work on resin mixtures to create a type that is both strong and flexible. We think we have what we are looking for right now. You can drop these figures from about 4 feet without breaking. There will be two different types of resin for the figures to choose from. One for the collector’s that are going to paint the miniatures and one for the plastic type collectors. The tests for dying the resin to create different colors will start in a couple of weeks. The Saxons we hope to match to the Conte Saxons in a rusty orange. The same goes for the Vikings & Normans that will eventually come. They will be matched to the Conte colors.

Don’t forget about the Columbus Toy Soldier Show in October. This is where we will premiere our new figures. Thank you for reading. That is it for now.

The Latest News!! 06/06/2021. Warhansa English Merrymen and Publius Mounted American Native Review.

Today we remember the Brave American, British, Canadian & other allied Soldiers that gave their lives when they stormed the beaches of Normandy to fight the forces of Germany.

The Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June 1944 to August 1944, resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control. Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. Prior to D-Day, the Allies conducted a large-scale deception campaign designed to mislead the Germans about the intended invasion target. By late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, and by the following spring the Allies had defeated the Germans. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe.

Today I am doing a quick post about some new products from Warhansa and then a figure from Publius. The first Warhansa set is called “Friends of Robin Hood”. There are 6 figures included. It looks like we get Little John, Friar Tuck, a Merry man with a pitchfork, Will Scarlet, a Jester and Maid Mirian.

The figures look really sharp. List as 1/32 in scale. They are nice size and will blend very well with Conte & Barzso medieval figures. The poses are good too. Weapons are to scale. I give them an A. The only figure I don’t need is the Jester. But he has his use in a court some where…

The other set is called “Forest Camp”. It has a camp fire and an animal spit roasting above it. Plus some barrels and chest. Some much needed accessories that we need a ton more for displays.

These items can be used with a lot of other brands as well. You can visit the Warhansa website over here to see more, http://warhansa.com/katalog.html?new=1&start=16.

Here is a new figure by Publius. He is a mounted Native American or a Plains Indian on a horse. This figure is very nice. Again 1/32 in scale. He is a little bigger than the TSSD figures. But will make a nice leader for you figures.

I found these trees in a train hobby shop last month. I purchase about all that they had. Not bad for about $3.00 a piece.

I am still working on some new figures. We are testing different designs and resins. I hope to be able to share something new in a few weeks. That is it for now. Thank you for reading.

The Latest News! 2-07-2021. Toy Soldier Previews & News!!! Lost Barzso Sculpts. Conte Romans. Warhammer III.

It has been a while since my last post. I have been busy working extra and dealing with the weather for the most part in January. I have gathered some things that have occurred over the last month into one post. So let us begin with some news from Airfix.

Airfix is releasing 6 of there classic World War II sets this summer. British Paratroops, German Infantry, US Infantry, US Paratroops, German Paratroops and British Infantry. I think these are now being produced in India. I wonder if they will be in a soft plastic again?

Conte’s plastic Romans are in production and should be available before the end of this year. Hopefully by the summer if we are lucky we shall see Roman Legion Set #1. They will come in bagged sets of Gold, Silver & Red.

Some of the figures require assembly. You will have a some choices with the poses. This is a nice feature when building armies. Also the hot & cold water solution to straighten the spear might be needed. Head over to the Conte website over here, https://contecostore.myshopify.com/.

Next we visit CHELOVECHEK / LITTLE MAN. Set №8, which is called “The Missing Expedition of Franklin – EREBUS (1845-1847).” In the set are 6 men in 1/32 scale made in rubber plastic. Here is a short description: – Captain John Franklin with Capuchin the monkey, Private of the Marine Corps armed with a capsule shotgun, Ice Master with hook and pistol, Diver with bogor, Cook with a heavy look, and an old sailor with a ice ax.

Plastic Platoon is very busy these days. They have a new set coming out soon. It is Indian Warriors of the Battle of Little Bighorn #3.

Plastic platoon. Soviet scouts 1943. 1/32 + Master model. Planned for release in Spring 2021.

Here are some 3D rendered Indian figures for the new American Revolution theme sets being developed.

Here are more renders of the figures of the series American Revolution. This time, the figures are from the Artillery Revolution set. The girl is Molly Pitcher.

Next we see what Publius is up too. Here are a few of the new sets being released. There is a crusader set, Greeks and Knights.

Plus some of the older WWII Russian Soldier sets cast in the rubbery resin. These WWII Russian Sets can be found at https://micshaunscloset.com/collections/publius.

The last thing I have to report about Publius is the prototype of an Amazon.

Mars has two new sets coming out later this year. They are World War II German Paratroop Artillery and Mortar sets.

David and Kim at MicShaun’s Closet have some new foam pieces in development. Here are the photos of their new North Africa Building in three paint schemes.

Plus Palisade Walls for the Alamo and other dioramas.  Three different pieces – plain wall, angled section (more for Alamo) and and artillery section. Check out more of their products at https://micshaunscloset.com/.

Last time I previewed the English Archer set by Warhansa. They have continued with some new medieval themed sets. They are English medieval themed sets. I really like these sets.

They also have a new Viking themed set. You can see more at their website over here, https://www.warhansa.com/.

FOUND AFTER 14 YEARS

One of my favorite projects was the Robin Hood Set. After the set came out in 2007 I had 5 more Merry Men sculpted by the brilliant Jay Richardson of Ft. Worth , Texas. They were to be the basis for a small add on set called the Men of Sherwood Forest. The figures were in various camp poses , seated , standing around, etc. One guy was designed to carry a variety of items , like firewood , a cask, etc. I got involved with other projects and put the originals away for safe keeping. I put them away in such a safe place that I forgot where they were! From time to time I would mount a determined search , but always without success. Years went by, with no Merry Men in sight.

Fast forward to last Saturday night. I was moving some boxes around and found one labeled ” Original Sculpts .” even though I had looked in the box before , I thought I would check each small box inside. Each box contained a set of original figures that I sent to the mold makers and which they had returned, Aztecs, 1805 Marines, Hurons …and then I opened a box labeled British Grenadiers figures #1-#4. But within the box was the set of long lost, misplaced , missing in action Merry Men in Camp ! I immediately called my old buddy Jim Clouse and told him the happy news . We met the next day at a McDonalds parking lot so I could hand them over for some professional photographs. (In addition to his sculpting skills Jim is also an accomplished photographer.

Finally, I communicated with the new owner of Barzso Playsets, Ken Ciak. Ken was excited too and plans to finally produce these figures along with maybe a surprise or two. ( I had planned to include a Maid Marion and Ken makes great female figures and , well, you get the idea.

So there is the story of the missing Merry Men. I can hardly wait until they come out. Can you ?

~ Ron Barzso

Photos were taken by Jim Clouse. These figures will probably be out sometime in the summer or early fall. You can see more of the LOD products over here, https://lodtoysoldiers.com/.

Total War announced that they will be releasing Warhammer III late this year. It is a PC video game. Game Workshop is also developing new miniatures bring back the Warhammer Fantasy tabletop game.

Now for some news. I will not be attending the Midwest Toy Soldier Show this year. I will be at the Gettysburg and Columbus Toy Soldier Shows. Maybe some other shows too. But we shall see. I will have some of the Russian based figure sets at these shows. Companies like Prikaz, Warhansa and Publius. Plus the LOD resin sets and some foam products. I should also have my figures ready sometime late spring. That is all for now. Thank you for reading.

Tippecanoe Toy Soldier 2 Show 2020 ~ Review Part 3 ~ The Loot

Today I finally found some time to get this post up. I have been working more than usually lately and my time is limited these days. I really didn’t pick up to much this time. Just a few figure sets. I will let the pictures tell the story.

I picked up a bag of vintage Marx Japanese figures for $10. These are some of my favorite WWII Marx figures. I am going to wash these figures.

I picked these figures from one of Larry Lovely boxes. He gave these to me.

Here is a Marx Viking figure that I also got from Larry.

Here are a some Conte Alamo figures that I got from John Stengel Jr.

Here are some 60mm Barzso Playsets Merrymen. I also got these from John Stengel Jr. I wanted to use these in the display of the Medieval buildings I had on my table. I paid $15 for the Conte & Barzso figures.

I got these vintage Marx Colonial figures for about $2 a piece from Rick Keller. You can right click on the picture and open it in a new tab to get a closer look at the figures.

Besides the Marx Colonial figures I also got these Marx British Red Coats for about $2 a piece. A few months ago I had picked up a single Marx Red Coat. On my wish list was these figures to look for at the next show I would attend. They are a excellent match for Barzso figures.

This is the first time I saw these Aurora Camelot Medieval figures in the wild. They are about 54mm. Beautifully sculpted. Rick Eber was asking for $150 for this carded set. I purchased a loose figure set for $80.

There are 10 figures in this set. You get five men-at-arms, two, two Knights, two maidens and one bandit. These figures are made out of a hard model type plastic.

I got two of these Volk Designs Medieval cottages. I traded some die cast vehicles for them. These are made out a rubbery type foam. I love the way they look. They will look great with any 54mm to 60mm figures. You can check out more of their products at, https://www.crowntoysoldiers.com/volk-designs.

Don’t forget about the Columbus Ohio Toy Solider Show, October 18th. It’s going to be a great show. For more information check out the Midwest website, http://www.mwtoysoldier.com/Shows.html.

That is it for now. Thank you for reading.

The Latest News!! 06/30/2019 ~ Mars 1/32 World War II Japanese Paratroopers, MicShaun’s Closet & John Jenkins Anglo-Saxons Shield Wall.

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Here is another update about the hobby. We have some news from Mars, MicShaun’s Closet and John Jenkins.

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Sergey shared a sneak peak of the World War II Japanese in 1/32 scale. Here are four of the figures that will be included in this set. The Zombie Pirates, German Panzergrenadiers and Japanese Paratroopers should be released by the end of the summer. An eBay dealer from the Ukraine made a mistake by listing some sets this week that are still unavailable.

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The poses are based on the same poses from the 1/72 set. But they look a little different. I am excited to see this set released now after see this first four figures.

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MicShaun’s should have their big shipment of re-stock figure sets by the end of the week. I will have more information on that when it happens.

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Right now they have this NEWRAY BIG COUNTRY WESTERN TOWN in stock. Check it out at https://micshaunscloset.com/products/new-ray-big-country-western-town

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George of Minutemen Toy Soldiers shared some pictures of John Jenkins latest theme today. These are unpainted prototypes. These range should be released sometime next year. Check out George’s site at http://www.mmtoysoldiers.com/

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“John Jenkins Designs previewed a new range yesterday at the June London Toy Soldier Show; figures from the battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings………………they will begin to appear in September, hopefully in time for the Chicago Show……..”

http://www.johnjenkinsdesigns.com/

I can’t wait to see these.

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That is it for now. Thank you for reading.

The Latest News ~ 01/21/2019. News & Reviews. Prikaz, Atherton Scenics, Barzso Metal Woodland Indians, X-Force & More.

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Greetings my fellow collectors. Today I have some hobby related news to share with you. I have some information from Alex Pisarev who is the owner of Prikav. He shared with me two sets that I didn’t know anything about.

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The first and newest set is of the Indochina war of 1947-54, and represents the parachutists of the French Foreign Legion. The “Dien Bien Phu” series: “2 BELs” (“2 battalion of paratroopers of the Foreign Legion”).  The scale 1/32 (54 mm). 

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The set consists of five figures: 1) a sergeant-chef in a parade cap and a parade shirt with a sash, 2) a legionary-parachutist in a hat, full display and with an amphibious version of a MAS-38 rifle, 3) a legionary-parachutist in a beret, with a dagger, attacking hand-to-hand, 4) legionary-parachutist in a helmet, full display, with an amphibious version of the MAS-38 rifle, shooting from the knee, 5) girl (nurse) with a MAS-38 rifle (collective image based on the movie “Charlie Bravo”) .

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I don’t know if this subject was ever covered in Plastic. This war led to the USA getting into the Vietnam war.

It is an interesting subject to cover. I guess you could combine some Vietnam based figures with these. The next set is Medieval based.

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The second set is based on the early Russian Viking history. Alex told me that “Last fall I released a set of “Squad”, which consists of four figures: a noble horse warrior, two noble foot soldiers and a girl warrior. All four figures are dressed in ancient Russian armor. The rider from the southern part of Ancient Russia, the bearded warrior, too. But the young warrior and the girl are conceived and made so that they can be Russians, Scandinavians, Saxons, and even Czechs or other Western Slavs. I wanted to combine the history of Europe and the history of Russia in this set.”

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I like this set of Noble Warriors. The details are nice. I can see the horse rider smashing through a shield wall or chasing down some people. The female warrior will be a great addition to any battlefield.

I am talking to Alex about putting together an interview. I will have more information about him and his figures in the near future. 

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About two weeks ago Paul over at Stad’s Stuff had a Preview of some new Expeditionary Force English French Hussars. Today one of the new sets was released 54 FRN 11 French Hussars.

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Here are some pictures of prototypes of Soviet WWII Soldiers by Warhansa. These are part of new sets coming out at the around February. The scale is 1/32,  approximately 54mm like classic toy soldiers.

 

Here are some pictures of the first run World War II British Infantry from Plastic Platoon from the “Battle of Crete” series above.

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I ordered this Wigwam Terrain piece on eBay a couple of weeks ago. It reminded me of some of Barzso Playset’s Woodland Indian village pieces. It fits in perfect with the Barzso figures. Here is the link if you are interested WOODLAND INDIANS WIGWAM DIORAMA 54mm CAST FOAM ATHERTON SCENICS (#9902).

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Besides the Wigwam village piece that I got on eBay I also got these Barzso Villagers from Ed Borris. He purchased a bunch of sets that Ron Barzso had left. At one point Ron fooled around with the idea of having his figures cast in metal. They look to be the same size and have the same amount of detail as the resin cast figures. You can go to Ed’s eBay page over here Never released! Barzso brushed metal pewter “Indians in Camp Set:, Brand New!. Here are some more pictures below. A few at the end show the metal figures compared to the resin copies.

Well folks that is it for now. Thank you for reading.

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Toy Soldier Preview ~ Publius Viking Warriors

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I was looking around on eBay and I stumbled across this new set from Publius. eBay NEW!!! “PUBLIUS” VIKING WARRIORS, 8 rubber plastic soldiers 1:32 60mm.

This is a limited edition set. It was labeled Viking Warriors. It is a set of 8 Vikings. The size is 60mm, about the size of Conte Vikings. The figures are very detailed. I had to order a set. The cost was about $100. It seems like most of the sets are almost sold. I will have a review once I receive them. There was another seller selling the same set for about $120.

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Toy Soldier Review ~ Prikaz 9th Century Viking Life & Russian Prince Medieval Court figures

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The other day I saw a blog article on Stad’s Stuff, Prikaz Medieval Sets Russian Prince Court Viking Life. It was preview of some Danish Vikings and Rus Slavic figures from a Russian company called Prikaz. The preview showed two different sets in 1/32 scale.  The Viking figures depicted everyday life events. Either raiding, fighting or just waiting for a drink. The other set was of a Russian Prince’s Court. There is a Warlord, some merchants and a Sentry. Both of these sets caught my eye and I decided to purchase them. 

I liked the fact that the figures showed everyday life poses from that era. Here are some pictures below of the Vikings sets.

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Here are the first two figures. The Viking sitting down is Ragnar Lodbrok aka “Ragnar shaggy breeches”. Then there is a Danish Woman serving a horn of Mead.

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The next two figures shows a Saxon woman being carried away by a Viking Raider.

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The last figure shows a Viking Earl in a fighting pose. He can be added to a Shieldwall.

 

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Now back to the Russian Medieval Court. Most of these figures depict everyday life too. There are three merchant type figures. It looks like some are haggling about the price of something.

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The first figure is a Fur Merchant. The Second one is a called the “Money Changer.” The third figure is a old woman called the Klyuchnica (Old Slavic, literally “woman-intendant.”)

The next figure is the Rus Slavic Warlord. He is standing strong with his sword stabbing the ground. I think he is trying to make a point.

Here is the last figure. It is a Sentry leaning on an Axe. He looks like he is keeping an eye on everyone.

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I have to say that these figures are not for everyone. Mainly because of the cost. Each set was about $55.00. I think only the die hard medieval fans like me are going to purchase a set like this. It fills a void for my collection. It brings a bunch of characters that I can use in a village setting. 

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Here are some of the Safari figures that I got the other day at Hobby Lobby. They look really good with these new Prikaz figures.

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The sculpting is very good, a little crude at times. When I add a few of these figures to a diorama they add so much to the story being told. 

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The Prikaz figures are 1/32 in scale about the same size as Conte Medieval figures. Also like Conte that are casted in a hard rubber type plastic. These figures blend in very well with other companies like Conte Medieval figures, Barzso Medieval figures, Engineer Basevich and any figures that are around 56mm to 60mm.

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I purchased these figures on eBay at Toy Soldiers for all Ages. I received the figures about 10 days after I purchased them. 

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I have a some more pictures below that show a few different angles and close ups. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the review.

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Toy Soldier Review ~ Warhansa Vikings

Warhansa Vikings

Every once in a while I order something online and then I’m pleasantly  surprised when I get them. This is the case with the Warhansa Vikings. About a month ago I went to the Warhansa website and ordered these Vikings. From what I saw on the internet I expected some decent sculpted figures. But they looked a little crude from some of the pictures that I saw. But was surprised with the amount of detail done to these figures. They are not perfect, but they make a fine addition to my collection. 

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This set came with 5 figures. One of the first things that I noticed was the color of these figures. They are an orange/beige color and look different from the pictures on the Warhansa website. Also these figures feel like the American Revolution Barzso figures. They are a stiff, but flexible too. Harder than the old Conte figures. I thought they would be a hard resin type plastic. They are listed 1/32 in scale. They would be better listed as 1/30 in scale as they are big. They mix well with Conte, Barzso, Publius and Engineer Basevich figures. I really like 4 out of 5 of the poses. The least favorite figure is the berserker figure. 

The first two figures that I really like form a shield wall when placed next to each other. This is a big plus for me when I am looking for new figures to add to my Vikings and Saxons. The “Shield Wall” was a main tactic that the Vikings and Saxons would use in battle.

The next figure is a Viking with a Dane Axe. Usually the Dane Axe was used by a very skilled warrior. The Dane Axe was used by both the Vikings and Saxons. This figure could also be used as a Saxon Huscarl too. One of the reasons that I like this pose so much is that it makes you wonder the next action the figure will take. It looks like he is ready to smash a shield to pieces or split someones skull in half.

Another figure that I really like it the one of the Viking Leader. He has a sword raised and is blowing a horn. He is giving the signal to ATTACK!!!! I like everything about this guy. He has the look of grizzled veteran. He has lead many raiding parties over the years.

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The last figure is the berserker. It is a mixed bag here. I like the sculpted body, but I think the pose could have been better. I would have liked to see more emotion with this figure. Like if he was going to explode. It looks like he is doing a rain dance. I think two axes would have been better too. 

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All in all I like these figures and they shall make nice additions to my warbands. Some of these figures can be used as Saxons too. I am going to order some more in the future. If these figures were scaled down a little the would be great. The weapons are over sized, but not overly distracting. I like the small details and facial expressions. Plus the action poses of most of them.

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I will use these figures as character figures for my medieval armies. The are bigger than most of my other figures. But they are not giants, but are big men. 

I will paint the first batch of figures that I have and mix them with my metal figures. When compared to my Conte metal figures they seam to be the same size and should mix well when they are painted.

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Let’s hope that Warhansa does some Saxons in the future to go with these Vikings. Take a look at there figures over here at Warhansa.

Take a closer look at the details of these figures. I hope this helps out with making a decision in spending your money on these figures. They are not cheap, but to me are worth the price of $32. Thanks for reading and looking at my blog page. Take care for now.